The Vine-Covered Building (Please Favorite)

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Under White Crow's guidance, Gu Su led the undead squad on a slight detour, avoiding the more difficult terrain. At last, they reached the area near the building that had been overwhelmed by glowing vines.

Looking up, Gu Su saw that this building was worlds apart from the shopping mall where the Bone Ash Squad was scavenging.

It wasn't a commercial building, but a residential apartment block. There were no rows of shops on the ground floor, and the building materials were ordinary. Its walls were mottled and peeling, with collapsed and sunken sections in several places. It exuded the desolate, dilapidated air of the apocalypse.

Only one thing stood out—and it even overshadowed the building's own ruinous state.

Glowing green vines had stubbornly forced their way out from inside the building. Like smooth silk ribbons, they clung tightly to the entire structure, winding upward from the base and spiraling along the walls, window frames, and pillars. They were so densely packed that not a gap remained.

Some of the vines hung down in glowing green curtains, conveniently covering the shattered windows and sunken sections of wall. In the gloom, they gave off a soft yet eerie light.

Even stranger, the vines' leaves twitched faintly with the light. Glowing green sap dripped from their tips and instantly corroded tiny black pits in the ground. A faintly sickly-sweet scent lingered in the air—so subtle it was hard to notice, yet somehow dangerous.

From a distance, the green glow was so dazzling that it completely obscured the building's outline. It looked as though the vines' light had swallowed the entire structure, making it seem especially bizarre.

Gu Su narrowed his eyes and fixed his gaze on the glowing vines, studying them for a moment. Confusion and surprise colored his voice as he muttered, "What the hell is going on?"

After a brief pause, he didn't hesitate. He gave an order to White Crow, circling overhead. "White Crow, go over and test them. Check out the situation."

As soon as Gu Su finished speaking, one of the white crows took flight and sped toward the fallen building. Agile and light, it quickly swept past the curtain of vines and darted straight inside, disappearing from view.

Gu Su kept his eyes narrowed, following the white crow's movements intently. He didn't let his guard down for a moment.

He had already prepared himself for what might happen. The crow would probably be attacked by the vines, or trigger some unknown danger.

After all, there was no way such bizarre, glowing vines could be harmless.

But he never expected that the white crow would circle around inside the building several times, sometimes landing on the vines, sometimes flying past collapsed walls—and emerge completely unharmed. It wasn't attacked or exposed to anything unusual. It simply continued to fly around inside as if nothing were wrong.

The unexpected turn of events left Gu Su speechless, and he grumbled to himself.

Could they have noticed that I've got elite undead warriors now and decided not to even give me a chance to fight?

He was eager to test his troops' combat strength, but the complete lack of incident made him feel oddly out of his element.

He could grumble all he wanted, but Gu Su didn't lower his guard in the slightest.

He'd only been here for two days, but he already knew what kind of hellhole this was.

In an apocalyptic world like this, the places that seemed safest often concealed the greatest dangers.

He immediately made new arrangements and sent several more white crows over to widen the search.

At the same time, on Gu Su's decisive order, two skeleton warriors quickly strode forward. Each held a black iron shield steady in his left hand, keeping his body protected behind it as he cautiously approached the building, alert the whole way.

Once they reached the base of the building, the two skeleton warriors followed Gu Su's instructions without hesitation. Each raised a shield in one hand, gripped a long bone sword in the other, and struck at the glowing vines clinging to the walls. The sharp edges of their swords scraped across the vines with a soft hiss.

Gu Su stood where he was, watching the two skeleton warriors closely, still uncertain.

He simply couldn't believe that these bizarre, glowing vines posed no threat.

He suspected the vines might be some kind of giant mutant carnivorous plant. Perhaps they deliberately glowed to lure small animals—or unsuspecting creatures—close, then seize the chance to devour them.

Still, he wasn't worried. Undead creatures were immune to mind magic. Even if the vines really were strange, or could use some ability to muddle their minds, his undead warriors could handle it calmly. At the very least, they wouldn't be hindered by mind-affecting skills. They'd only have to deal with physical attacks, which was nothing to fear.

But the outcome once again took Gu Su by surprise.

The two skeleton warriors stood at the base of the building, repeatedly hacking at the vines with their bone swords. The severed vines fell to the ground, splattering sap, but the rest remained completely unresponsive. They neither struck back nor recoiled, as if they were ordinary plants, letting the skeleton warriors cut them down.

The complete lack of incident left Gu Su utterly speechless. But then he thought about it: perhaps this wasn't a bad thing after all.

There was no danger, and he could collect these strange, glowing vines. It didn't matter whether they'd be useful later; he could gather them first. Ever practical, he wasn't about to pass up this unexpected windfall.

So he promptly ordered the undead warriors behind him, "You go help them too.

"I want all these glowing vines. Don't waste a single one!"

Just as the undead warriors were preparing to move forward, the white crow that had flown into the building to investigate suddenly flapped back and landed on the ground in front of Gu Su. It gave a clear caw, relaying what it had found.

According to the white crows, they had discovered a hidden room inside the building, in an area unlike the others.

Because the vines had protected the room, it hadn't suffered much damage from the wind and rain. They could still see what was inside.

It wasn't an apartment at all. It was someone's home chemistry workshop. Though they didn't know what its occupants had researched or made there, it was clear that the vines' mutation had most likely originated in that room.

Gu Su's interest was piqued. Compared to the harmless glowing vines, that special room was the real key to the building. There had to be valuable supplies—or perhaps some unknown secret—inside.

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Without a moment's hesitation, he pointed at the white crow that had brought him the news. "You—lead a few elite skeletons over there and bring me everything in that room. Don't leave out a single thing!

"If you meet any resistance, don't hesitate. Kill them all. Show no mercy!"